The invention is related to safety restraint systems for automotive vehicles, and in particular, to a retractor system for the shoulder webbing of the safety restraint system having a variable retractor exit angle to provide a better fit of the shoulder webbing on the shoulder of the occupant.
The shoulder webbing of most safety restraint systems is attached to a side pillar of the vehicle. When the back of the seat is reclined, the shoulder of the occupant of the seat becomes separated from the shoulder webbing and it no longer properly fits the occupant nor provides an adequate safety restraint. The retractor of the shoulder webbing may be mounted to a structural member of the back of the seat, however, this changes the angle between the shoulder webbing and the retractor on which it is wound causing the retractor to bind, generating an annoyance to the occupant of the seat that may discourage the use of the shoulder webbing when the seat is inclined.
The object of the invention is to properly fit the shoulder web to the occupant when the back of the seat is reclined.
Another object of the invention is a retractor pivotally mounted to a structural member of the seat's back to provide a variable angle webbing exit.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide retractor lockup independent of the position of the seat's back.
Still another object of the invention is the use of a remote acceleration sensor to lock up the retractor independent of the position of the seat's back.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a retractor system having a solenoid actuator to lock up the retractor in response to an acceleration greater than a predetermined value.
The shoulder webbing retractor system has a mounting bracket fixedly attached to a structural member of the vehicle, the mounting bracket having a horizontal sleeve substantially parallel to the transverse axis of the vehicle. A retractor has a spool on which the shoulder webbing is wound and has a shaft substantially transverse to the spool. The shaft is pivotally received in the sleeve and locked therein. An acceleration sensor is responsive to an acceleration greater than a predetermined value to inhibit the extraction of the shoulder webbing from the retractor's spool.
In the preferred embodiment, the shoulder webbing retractor is pivotally mounted to a structural member of the back of the seat. In a first embodiment of the shoulder webbing retractor system, the acceleration sensor is mounted to the retractor and produces a mechanical output, locking up the retractor when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined value. In an alternative embodiment, the acceleration sensor is an electrical switch remote from the retractor producing an electrical output signal in response to an acceleration greater than a predetermined value. A solenoid actuator associated with the retractor is responsive to the electrical output signal generated by the acceleration sensor to lock up the retractor, prohibiting the extraction of the shoulder webbing from the retractor.